The shocking shooting of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has become an unexpected and dramatic turn in the 2024 election race. This incident is the first time in 43 years that a US presidential candidate has been directly shot—the last being Ronald Reagan in 1981, who later won the presidency after a similar attack.
During a campaign rally on Saturday, Trump was shot in the ear in an attempted assassination, an event that is set to significantly reshape the current presidential race. The incident also raises serious questions about the security provided to the Republican candidate. Immediately after the shooting, Trump was surrounded and covered by his security agents. He quickly emerged, his face streaked with blood, and pumped his fist in the air, mouthing the words “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
The Trump campaign later assured that he was “doing well” and appeared to have suffered no major injury. Early on Sunday, the FBI identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the “subject involved” in the attempted assassination. Crooks, who was shot dead by agents, was a registered Republican, according to state voter records.
Historical attacks on US presidents and candidates are not new. In 2005, a hand grenade was thrown at President George W. Bush during a speech, though it did not explode. More tragically, presidents John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln were fatally attacked while in office.
Following the assassination attempt, Trump called on Americans to stand united. “In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United,” Trump said in a statement on his Truth Social network, emphasizing that Americans should not allow “evil to win.” He credited divine intervention, stating that it was “God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening” and that he would “fear not.”
